Synthesis of highly functionalized thermoplastic polyurethanes and their potential applications

- The azido-diol was synthesized using cationic ring opening polymerization.
- Thermoplastic polyurethanes with azido-alkyne reaction site were obtained.
- Azido TPU fiber and film were fabricated by electrospinning and spincoating.
- The processible TPUs were able to functionalize by azido-alkyne click reaction.

In general, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is one of the polymers that have great flexibility and processibility. Along with these advantages, when the TPU contains specific functional groups for further reactions, the scope of application will be greatly extended. Here, we attempted to synthesize a highly functional TPU with a reactive group from the synthesized azido diol. Azido-thermoplastic polyurethanes (azido-TPUs), which could be introduced with other groups easily via azido-alkyne “click” reactions, have been studied. Because of their great processibility (even after functionalization), we can prepare azido-TPU films and fibers by spin coating and electrospinning, respectively. To prove the potential applications of azido-TPU, we investigated the mechanical properties of functionalized TPU and application via click reaction on TPU fibers and films.

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